Under a woodland animal theme, for example, the topic of hibernation could include a science lesson about which animals hibernate and where, a song about hibernation, an art project of a bear in a cave and a math activity where the children add and subtract bears. When the same theme occurs across the curriculum, the children are able to revisit the same ideas and apply them in different ways, resulting in a richer understanding of the subject.
According to The Kennedy Center, integrated theme units allow teachers to be creative and encourage adaptation. Engaging themes that relate to kindergartners' lives also help them get excited about learning. Common themes include seasons and holidays, animals, nutrition and community. I can show them how to never stop learning. After I plan my year at a glance I focus on the themes I will teach each week. My first goal is to understand the objective of the week.
For example, my scarecrow unit may seem cute and underwhelming. But the lessons are focused a moral that is related to a scarecrow themed text. Each read aloud pairs with a fable to help learners understand the moral and relate it to their own lives. That leads to my next step, the shared reading texts. After I have determined my objective I look for texts that will engage students through the read aloud and discussion. This is honestly the most time-consuming part of the planning process in my opinion.
Choosing a text takes a lot of thought, planning, and experience. I may think I have the perfect book, but my students may disagree. Listening to and discussing with them allows me to improve as I teach. Next up is the activity that goes with our read aloud. Sometimes we read the book in the morning and complete the activity in the afternoon.
Other times we complete and activity as a whole group or split off into partner groups. Changing it up keeps my learners on their toes and their brains always working. Finally, I integrate our theme. If you look at my thematic units you will see poems, readers, interactive pocket charts, literacy centers, math centers, vocabulary word walls, and more! Differentiating our teaching is required within the thematic framework if it isn't working for some of your students.
For some, interest in the topic may not be a match, and when it's not a match, motivation will dwindle. Students could become bored with one theme Students might show low motivation or a lack of interest interest With the curriculum, one of the most important reasons to teach thematically is for students to make connections across the curriculum, but if they are absent, they might struggle with making those connections.
Other curriculum issues includes Finding appropriate resources and enough resources to prepare students appropriately can be an issue, especially if other teachers are teaching the same content. Also, some standards may not work into the themes chosen causing missed content.
Teacher planning and prep time may be increased due to gathering materials and creating materials to fill curriculum gaps. Interested in trying a theme? Each week on my blog, Comprehension Connection , I host a link up called Thematic Thursday where I pull together resources on a specific topic.
Some may work well for your standards and some may not, but even if you do not teach with a full theme across all subjects, you might enjoy using a collection of themed resources to accompany your school's curriculum, a basal story, or just to increase motivation with a topic your students love. This week, the theme is Thematic units also help teachers teach to the different learning styles of their students. Research conducted by famous child development scientists, such as Piaget, Vygotsky and Bruner, suggest that integrating subject matter across different content areas, such as math and science, engages the whole brain through active and hands-on involvement, according to the Early Childhood News website.
In creating thematic units, teachers should plan for one topic per week or month depending on the broadness of the theme. Units can be planned around a book, season of the year, or basic skill such as colors or letters. Another resource for theme ideas comes from the students themselves. Poll the class to find out where their interests lie and plan a few units around those particular ideas.
Once themes have been chosen, find learning center and hands-on activities to support the topic. Gather books about the theme to read.
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